Sunday, July 28, 2013

Grieving Kidd Kraddick

Disclaimer:  This post is long, not funny and has no illustrations. But I'm hoping it can convey the feelings I'm having today.

It hit me really hard last night when I found out Kidd Kraddick had died suddenly.  I couldn't believe my feelings, really I am grieving a DJ?  I'm not the type of person who follows celebrities and if they die I have empathy for the family but I don't feel the need for grieving.  This is different.

When I moved to Texas in 1992 I had zero friends.  One day I turned on the radio and heard a familiar voice.  I couldn't place the voice but it was enough to hook me on his show.  Years later I found out Kidd was on the radio in Utah years before when I had lived there.

I started listening to the Kidd Kraddick show even before Kellie Rasberry was his co-host.  I remember going on maternity leave with my first child.  I always listened at work so I missed a couple months while I was at home.  When I went back to work Kellie had replaced the previous co-host and I was even more hooked than before.  The chemistry that the two of them have had the last 19 years has been a perfect blend of ADHD and rationality.

I remember Al joining the show and wondering how long he would last.  Kellie did not seem very fond of him at first.  But Kidd made it work.  Then many others coming and going like Bert, Flakeboy, and Rich.  When you listen to a group of people for four hours a day you really feel like you are getting to know them.

Kidd seemed to be pretty honest about himself on the show.  We got to know his daughter, (remember bath time with Caroline?) and before his divorce, his wife.  I remember him calling her one time when he had lost the keys to his car and took her car.  She had a meeting to attend, found his keys, but wasn't able to drive his car due to it being a stick.  He promised her he would call a car service to take her to her meeting.  In typical ADHD style he completely forgot and got a call from her hours later after she had driven an hour to her meeting in first gear.  He was so sorry and remorseful about the incident.  Even after his divorce he was never disrespectful to his ex-wife.  I can't remember a time he dogged on her.  He always seemed to take the blame for the divorce.

I remember all the fun phrases like boogaloo, I love your circus and there is one I can't quite remember that had to do with Annette Funicello.  And of course the one that has been there as long as I can remember, "Keep looking up, cause that's where it all is."  Kinda appropriate now.

Kidd Kraddick was there for many sad events and handled them with dignity.  I was listening to the show when I found out about 9/11.  I remember how they stayed on all day.  That will always be burned in my memory, one of those where were you when you found out about a huge event in history.

For a while I had an hour long commute to work.  I loved how Kidd's ADHD would kick in and they would skip many commercial breaks.  I selfishly didn't like it when syndication happened because they had to stay on a strict schedule and so no more 45 minute lengths of time for the crew to talk.

My son discovered he loved Kidd Kraddick as well.  He would get up early before school and turn on the show to listen to during breakfast.  The show also provided a bonding time for us.  We could talk about the show and I remember many times taking him to school when he was grumpy.  I would turn on the show and soon we would be laughing together.

Last year I started running and I discovered listening to the show while I ran made it such an enjoyable time of day for me.  And it provided time for me to catch up on the show since my job no longer allowed for me to listen all morning at work.

I have so many good memories of the funny bits he engineered.  One of the funniest ones I remember is when Dr. Phil's wife was taking someone from Good Morning Texas on a tour of her home.  Kidd sent Big Al over there in a bunny suit.  I remember laughing so hard watching this unfold on TV with a giant black man in a bunny suit following them up the stairs.  I love how I can be driving, running, or just listening and be laughing so hard.

Kidd also made me cry on many occasions.  His yearly reading of the letter of letting your children go to school for the first time, breaking and entering Christmas, Kissmas wishes, the random caller who he feels for and gives them exactly what they need and of course Kidd's Kids.

I have never gotten the privilege of meeting Kidd Kraddick so I cannot imagine the grief that the families who got to spend a week at Disney world with him are going through.  He gave something huge to so many children and families and to my knowledge never made a dime off of it.  In fact, I know in the early days the show members were required to buy their own plane tickets to Disney.  I also have no way to understand the depths of grief the staff and cast of the show will be grieving.  They were truly a family.

It's hard to allow myself to grieve someone I have never met.  But I am going to allow myself some tears because even though Kidd Kraddick had absolutely no idea who I was, I feel like he was family.  In fact almost daily I was telling my husband something he said or happened on the show.  KKITM was there for me when I had no friends.  It sounds corny, but there are times they were my only friends.

In reading many of the comments online I can see he touched so many people in a positive manner.  He seemed to really care about people.  Someone like him is supposed to get old, retire and then we hear of his passing at age 90.  Sad, but expected and we would be grateful for all he added to our lives.  This isn't fair that he had to die when he was doing so much good in the world.  Besides his charity work, how many people was he supporting with jobs?  And how many people have a better day because of listening to him and the show in the morning.  I want to believe this is all a cruel joke and he will be on tomorrow laughing at us all, but unfortunately that will not be the case.

I will take this as a reminder to live every day like it's my last and enjoy where I am right now.  Also as a reminder to do what I can to make others have a better day as well.  Kidd Kraddick made a positive impact on the world using what he had available to him.  I can do the same, just in a much smaller way. 

Kidd, you will be missed by so very many people, me included.  Thank you for the laughs, tears and inspiration.